Giving Thanks: Javier Muñoz and Mandy Gonzalez on 'Writing Your Own Stories'

Broadway.com recently presented the Arthur Miller Foundation Honors, the annual event that shines a spotlight on the importance of arts education in the public school system. Hosted by Broadway’s Sasha Hutchings (Hamilton, Oklahoma!), the virtual gala featured stories and songs from an array of Broadway performers, who honored inspiring teachers from their past and reflected on the state of theater and education in 2020.

In this clip from the show, Javier Muñoz and Mandy Gonzalez, who both appeared in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton and In the Heights, discuss representation on stage and their goal to increase diversity. "As a kid growing up Latinx, I didn't see a lot of people that looked like me at the shows my grandma took me to see. It's so important to me as a writer now that we write our own stories so we're not just in front of the camera, but behind the camera as well." Muñoz, who took over the title role from Miranda in Hamilton, shares that he hopes "one day diversity on stage wouldn't be revolutionary" and how he's putting in the work now to make it easier for those who come after him.

To honor the legacy of the great American playwright, Arthur Miller, and his New York City public school education, the Arthur Miller Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality theater education to public school students by supporting public school theater teachers. To watch more of the 2020 Arthur Miller Foundation Honors, or to donate, please visit http://www.amfhonorsorg.